This invention relates to riveting machines, and more particularly to a new and improved riveting machine for automatic drilling and riveting which is portable and operable in close clearance situations.
In prior art automatic riveting machines, the location of the drilling and riveting tools in the machine structure requires clearance between the rivet location in the workpiece and any structure extending from the plane of the workpiece. As a result, there are close clearance production operations which still are drilled and riveted by hand. In addition, prior art drilling and riveting machines are large in size and therefore not portable with the result that the work must be brought to the machine.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to provide a riveting machine for automatic drilling and riveting which is operable in close clearance situations and which is small in size and light in weight so as to be portable. Related to portability are the added desirable characteristics of the machine being operable in any positional orientation and the capability of bringing the machine to the work. Such an automatic drilling and riveting machine would find advantageous use in riveting airplane bulkheads and inside fuselage sections, inside cylindrical ducts, through windows and portholes, truck roof caps and flanges on cargo decks, to mention just a few applications.